MP3: Alex Calder – “Suki and Me”

Mac DeMarco might as well be the first word here. You won’t find a blog post that doesn’t mention Alex Calder’s hypnotic new track, “Suki and Me”, alongside the name of DeMarco, another young artist who made waves last year with the superb 2, which placed #12 on our Top 50 Albums of 2012. They share a sound steeped in jangly nonchalance, the sort of pop music you’d expect from a garage-glued loner in the ’80s. They borrow a bit of the reverb-friendly suaveness from Felt’s Lawrence Hayward, but there’s also a striking modern pop vision that’s mostly inherent in their choruses. On Calder’s “Suki and Me”, squealing guitars and an increased vocal pitch help distinguish the jumpy chorus, where Calder occasionally descends into a whimpering coo. It’s an excellent addition to this wonderfully hypnotic effort, off Calder’s upcoming album Time, out March 26th on Captured Tracks — the same label as jangle-pop brethren Mac DeMarco.